“A SELECTED LIST OF BOOKS ON THE
PRESENT WAR
By The Members Of The Seminar On International
Relations, Clark University
Edited by George H. Blakeslee, Professor of History and International Relations
The following list of books has been prepared by the Clark University Seminar on International Relations, as a result of its recent study of the literature of the war. The members of the Seminar have been fortunate in having ready access, in the University Library, to one of the best war collections in the country; over 3700 volumes are already on the shelves, arranged and catalogued in a separate department. It might be added that some 3000 to 4000 more, from Germany and Austria, are now waiting shipment from Holland.
With such a large number of books already published, and others constantly appearing, it is impossible to make a selection at the present time which will remain as a permanent list of “best books on the war;” but the following may be recommended as at least among the best now available for the various aspects of the world conflict.
The aim has been, not to select merely the popular books —although some few of the best of these have been included—nor to stress the picturesque side of the war; but to provide for the student of the war, especially for those who wish a broad knowledge of its general international relations, a list of easily accessible publications which not only describe the various fields and departments of the fighting, but deal with the great problems of the struggle, including its causes and the possibilities of the settlement. It is to be regretted, however, that with all the wealth of war literature, few if any really satisfactory books have as yet appeared on the war activities of certain of the belligerent countries; this is true both of Russia and of Turkey. It has been the particular aim of the Seminar to make a selection which would not only well represent the typical viewpoints of both the Entente and the Central Powers, but also the various schools of war thought in Great Britain and in France. The United States has so recently become a belligerent that it has seemed advisable to include no works dealing particularly with its part in the conflict.
The Seminar has had many an interesting evening reviewing and discussing the war literature. As a rule there has been substantial agreement as to the merits of the various books, but regarding some of them differences of opinion arose, so that the inclusion or rejection of a volume has occasionally had to be determined by a definite vote.
The reviews have been signed by the initials of the members who wrote them.
The Seminar has consisted of the following graduate students: John E. Brierly, John W. Field, LeRoy M. Handy, Gertrude E. Kneeland, Melvin M. Knight, Ivan E. McDougle, Lily E. Mitchell, Gren O. Pierrel. Mary D. Rebboli. David Sage, William F. Slade, Alfred T. Ware, Austin L. Whittey, William E. Zeuch.”
Reference Data:
A Journal of Race Development, Vol. 8, by Clark University, Worcester, Mass., 1918, pages 44-5
